


Family Photos

by Amilyn



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Critters, Family, Family Fluff, Fluff, Gen, Possible Pre-relationship If You Squint, So Much Cuteness, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-23
Updated: 2019-08-23
Packaged: 2020-09-24 14:23:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,372
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20359984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amilyn/pseuds/Amilyn
Summary: Amanda is...unconvinced of the wisdom in the plan Carisi makes when he decides it's time to do photos with Amanda's new baby and the other two now-bigger kids, especially when she finds out the venue he's chosen for them. Shameless family fluff.





	Family Photos

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chief_johnson](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chief_johnson/gifts).

> Many thanks to @bensonsalex for the late-night (early morning?) beta-read.

"Carisi, what the fresh hell is this?"

"What is what?"

Amanda waved the paper. She would never understand how an NYPD detective could look like a child caught in a cookie jar when asked a simple question.

"Oh, that?" He pointed. "That's our appointment."

"Appointment."

He nodded, grinning. "For the photos."

"Photos." Amanda sat, waited. When he didn't elaborate, she gestured for him to continue.

"You agreed it would be nice to do photos with Billie like we did with Jesse. Remember? On the merry-go-round?"

Amanda's forehead started to ache from her eyebrows being so high, but she nodded.

"Well, new baby, new family photos." He smiled brightly.

"But...how...what--"

"Carisi, can you explain this?" Liv emerged from her office, peering at a paper through her glasses and at her detectives over them.

Amanda smiled her sweetest smile. "Carisi thinks this will be a great family photo opportunity."

"What the hell is _goat yoga_?"

***

"We're here!" Noah shouted from the back seat.

"Wait till we're parked." Liv shifted the SUV and turned off the ignition. "And let Aunt Amanda get Billie settled."

Carisi was already out of the passenger seat and holding the door, simultaneously slinging his camera bag over a shoulder. Amanda gathered Billie, got out, and clicked the carrier straps into place. The tiny girl sighed and settled against Amanda's chest, sucking gently at nothing. She'd need to be fed soon.

Noah somersaulted from the back into the middle seats then leapt to the ground and rolled again. Jesse followed, but it turned into more of a belly-flop with her sliding down the seat back and giggling as she rolled onto the floor then crawled to the door.

"Okay, that's far enough," Olivia said as she gathered Jesse before the girl could slide head-first onto the damp grass. She adjusted Jesse onto the side of her hip and tapped the tip of her nose. "Are you ready for Uncle Sonny's crazy idea?"

"Cway-zee Unca Sonny!" Jesse giggled some more and squirmed until she slid down Olivia's leg like a slide, landed on her butt, and took off chasing Noah around the SUV.

"I hope you have a real fast shutter speed on that camera of yours," Amanda chuckled, patting Billie and swaying side to side.

Carisi rolled his eyes. "I've got a DSLR that shoots 5fps and--"

"Blah, blah, techno-boy," Amanda scoffed.

He glared at her. "Trust me, it'll do fine." He took Amanda's huge bag and looped the strap diagonally.

Olivia closed the doors and gathered mats from the rear.

Carisi promptly took them under his arm, "I got those, Lieu."

Olivia clicked the lock button and called, "Noah! Jesse!" It interrupted their fifth lap around the SUV. "I need your hands so we can cross the road!"

They went one more lap, and Olivia shrugged at the detectives. "Maybe they'll get some of their ya-yas out."

Amanda frowned, then looked at Carisi, who shrugged. She turned back to Olivia. "Ya...yas?"

"The Rolling Stones album?" She looked from one to the other. "And tour?"

Amanda stage-whispered to Carisi, "I don't think we were born yet."

Olivia rolled her eyes. "Well, we've been in the car for over an hour and a half, so it's good for them." She watched the kids do another lap, then called, "All children who want to pet goats must hold my hands!"

Amanda held hers out, grinning as her boss rolled her eyes. Noah and Jesse's hands had already practically materialized into Liv's, and they both smiled like perfect cherubs.

"Now what do we do before we--"

"Look bofe ways before crossing-a street!" and "Look both ways before crossing the street!" they chorused.

"First we look…"

"LEFT!" Noah shouted.

"Then we look…"

"WIGHT!" Jesse proclaimed.

"Then…"

"Wok!"

"Walk quickly!"

They took off, Olivia swinging their hands like a marching soldier.

Amanda's stomach did a tiny turn at the comfortable domesticity of it.

"Goat yoga, this way" signs were posted along fence-posts. They featured awkward cartoons of people in Warrior Two with a goat at their feet, horns pointing the way.

"These drawings look like I did them," Olivia laughed.

"Naw," Amanda replied. "Your artwork isn't nearly this good." She winked.

Olivia narrowed her eyes, pursing her lips in an attempt to glower, but the corners of her mouth twitched up, giving her away.

The kids skipped the length of the barn up to the fenced meadow with neatly trimmed grass.

The last image, of a woman in child's pose with a goat sleeping on the rise of her back and straw in her hair, hung on the fence post by the gate and announced, "Goat yoga HERE!"

People of all ages and shapes were already there. Some were moving through Sun Salutations, others were sitting cross-legged or in butterfly, still others were chatting while drinking coffee, mats still rolled up under their arms. Amanda shook her head for the umpteenth time. This idea...well, it was certainly different.

Carisi fumbled with the latch, but dropped all the yoga mats.

Amanda smothered her laugh in Billie's downy hair.

Olivia let go of the giggling kids' hands. "Get a mat, each of you."

"I getta PINK mat!" Jesse shouted.

"I wouldn't want the pink one anyway," Noah replied, grabbing the green mat and the yellow one. "I've got Baby Billie's mat too!"

Carisi held the gate. "Here you go, Lieu."

Olivia grabbed the other two mats, holding out two of them to either side of the kids to herd them. "Let's go over by the side, you two."

Once they were in an open patch, Olivia spread out one of the adult mats, then put the smaller yellow mat at the front. "Here you go, Amanda, you and the little one make yourselves comfortable." She turned and stepped forward into a lunge, holding her rolled mat in both hands, "What pirates dare challenge me?"

Amanda swallowed back a chortle and turned to Carisi, whose eyes were similarly wide. Neither moved as the kids hit their boss's mat with their rolled mats.

"Get her!"

"Arrrr!"

"Aye, matey!"

"You'll never escape me!"

Jesse brought her mat down over and over on the top of Olivia's, and Noah slipped behind his mom and batted the back of her knee.

"Oh, no! You got me!" Olivia fell to her side, landing on her own mat and giggling while the kids bounced their mats against her side and her arms. She lunged up, scooping out and grabbing them both around their waists then rolling back with them so they were on top of her, squirming and giggling the whole way.

Jesse was the first to pop up. "Unca Sonny!" She stepped on Olivia as she climbed over.

"Oof."

"We gots-ted Aunt Livia!"

Olivia wrapped her arms around Noah, rocked him side to side, then let go when he squirmed. "All right, sweet boy, let's get your mat laid out."

She spread Jesse's mat by Amanda's, then hers, then Noah's to her left. "Who can do a better tree?"

"Me! Me, Aunt Livia!"

"I can!"

"How I do tree, Aunt Livia?"

Amanda had settled into the middle of the mat, listening to Carisi's shutter clicking and watching the rough-housing while Billie nursed. Billie was as chill as Jesse was wild, though Jesse had been calmer as an infant so...who knew if she'd get her mother's "I hope you have one just like you!" curse twice over.

She swallowed and blinked hard because she wasn't going to cry at the beautiful spectacle of the joy in front of her, and her heart pounded as Olivia glanced over, smiling as she held her hands over Jesse's, pressing them together as if in prayer, all four thumbs against the little girl's chest. Amanda smiled back.

"Now it's time to breathe ourselves super calm." Olivia knelt behind Jesse and glanced at Noah, who had his hands pressed together. "Ready?" She circled Jesse's hands in hers out and in a circle together in front of her forehead and back to her chest, repeating, "In, in, in, in, in, in." Holding them steady, "Hold, hold, hold, and out, out, out, out."

Amanda found herself breathing with Olivia's count, her face and chest warm despite the April mid-morning chill the sun was trying to cut through.

"Okay, kids, let's get in--"

"Good morning, everyone!" A woman, followed by three others, entered at the gate.

Olivia shushed the kids, sitting on her mat and pulling them to her sides.

The gate was re-latched by the first woman, who was slender, fair-skinned, wearing dark green yoga pants and a bulky brown sweater, dark hair half pulled back but flowing in waves to her shoulder blades, half her face obscured by large sunglasses. She held up a clipboard, "I'm Rowan, and my partner Jilly is going to come around and get or give you the release forms while I check and see if everyone who signed up is here. That way, once we get started, we don't get interrupted by late arrivals. Adams family?"

"Over here!" Two portly, middle-aged women waved from where they lounged on their mats.

"Carisi family?"

"Uh, here," Carisi waved, cheeks pinking up as Olivia and Amanda turned to stare at him. He quickly turned away, digging in his satchel for the release forms he'd had them sign before they left.

Rowan continued to go through names, and Amanda shifted Billie to her other breast. Once Billie latched on and Amanda felt the prickle of her milk letting down, she looked around, counting. There were not quite 25 people here, and they were mostly in pairs.

"All right! It looks like we're only waiting for the O'Malleys and, hey, that might be them now."

Amanda turned. Five people headed across the grass, blond hair in ponytails.

"Sorry to be late," the oldest said as she held the gate. "My sister insisted on using her old GPS."

The other adult laughed and ushered the three pre-teens in. Jilly headed over to where the sister held out papers.

"Looks like we're about set," Rowan said. "How this goes is usually that I lead us in a few warm-up poses, and then Jilly, Skye, Hudson, and Lane bring the goats in. How many of you have done goat yoga before?"

"We have!" one of the O'Malley kids called, as all their hands went up.

Jesse, still tucked under Olivia's arm, raised her hand and piped, "Me!"

"Haven't!" Noah whispered. "Has she, mom?"

"No, sweetie." Olivia kissed her son's curls.

Rowan's broad smile lit up her face, and her cheeks appled, pushing her sunglasses up. "I remember. Hey, Jennie, Biscuit is here again."

"YAY!" Jennie clapped.

Jesse clapped too, and Amanda chuckled softly.

"Is there anyone here who has never done yoga?" Rowan held her clipboard up as a sun visor.

And elderly woman with a straw hat tied under her chin with a big, blue bow raised her hand. 

Jesse waved her hand too.

"Does anyone need a mat or a sarape?" Rowan asked. She pointed to a Rubbermaid bin. "We have extras here."

Billie had slowed in her feeding, and, although her mouth still worked, her eyes were closed. "Hey, Carisi, can you put the sleep mat on her yoga mat and get her blanket?"

He rummaged in the oversized bag Amanda had taken to carrying and laid out the mat with the blanket on it.

Amanda moved slowly, gently, supporting every part of Billie's body until she was on the cushion, then she eased her hands out from under the baby, tucking first the layette flannel around her, then tucking the soft, heavier blanket around her. With any luck, she'd sleep through this...and no goats would try to eat her hair.

She stood and brushed herself off.

"--feet shoulder-width apart, allowing your arms to hang down." Rowan's voice was light and high, but clear, almost...round, somehow. "Roll your shoulders back and around. And again, two, three, four. Now forward and around, two, three, four. Roll them back again. Now lift your head to lengthen your spine and neck. Lift your arms to the sides, up to be parallel to the ground. Rotate your palms up. Now, slowly raise your arms above your head until your palms meet. Breathe in. As you breathe out, move your arms and head back in a _tiny_ backbend. Breathe in as you stand up, then out as you bring your thumbs to your breast bone. Breathe in as you press your thumbs in, then out as you lower your arms and drop your shoulders. And, again. Lift your arms…"

Amanda followed along, keeping Jesse in view out of the corner of her eye. The little girl was raising her arms and clapping her hands, waving them together back and forth above her head then throwing them down. Amanda pulled a frown of surprise at her daughter's level of participation; she'd expected the girl to be skipping around them already.

"All right, step back and bend your front knee, keeping it over your ankle and your hips square. Now raise both arms as you lengthen your spine…"

Jesse had her feet apart and swung her little arms up and down, humming a little song. Just past her, Olivia held the pose in a deep lunge, shoulders back, looking like each finger was reaching for the sky. Her chest thrust forward as she looked up and reached back. Amanda gulped and jerked her gaze away, leaning back in the pose before they stood straight and rotated their arms parallel to the ground.

They brought their feet together and were switching to the other side when she heard a bleat behind them. Amanda moved into the opposite lunge anyway, knowing her attention was soon going to shift to the task of keeping her kid from having her clothes eaten or being bitten after being too rough.

The gate opened, and the animals trotted in. They were white, brown-spotted, black with white bibs, and a number of variations. Most had only small horns, if any, and they were sizes from awkward baby up through just above knee-height, which looked full-grown.

Jesse squealed. "GOATS!"

"Goats!" Noah breathed.

Olivia was standing with one foot against her thigh, perfectly steady as the goats wandered among the people. Some stopped to grab a mouthful of grass, a particularly small black goat with a white spot on its forehead nibbled at someone's sarape fringe, and Jesse giggled, clapping her hands.

Amanda heard the shutter clicking near her. She had to admit, a picture of Jesse's glee was going to be cute as hell.

A smallish brown goat with tiny buds of horns trotted toward Jesse. It stopped, tipped its head to one side, then reached out lips to examine the hot pink jacket Jesse nearly lived in. A tongue followed the lips and swiped along where Jesse had spilled yogurt this morning, and Jesse tipped over onto her butt.

Amanda held her breath, but the little girl giggled, reached up, and hugged the goat around its neck. "This one _likes me_, Mama!"

Rowan was still teaching, encouraging them to, "...lengthen your spine in table pose, hands under shoulders, knees under hips…"

"Look, Jesse." Amanda pointed to where two people had goats balancing on their backs.

Rowan continued, "...cat-cow…"

"Mama, the goats are _bouncing!!_"

"You are right, Jess. How about you pet this goat like you would Frannie?" She took a hand and guided it along the animal's side.

Jessie put both hands on the goat's face and scratched its ears. She moved to stroke its neck and the goat butted her hands with its head, so she scratched its ears again. "It likes this, Mama!"

"It sure does." Amanda glanced at Olivia, and they exchanged smiles. Noah was similarly taken with a white baby goat that was rubbing its face on the boy's chest while he patted its flank.

Olivia folded herself forward and walked her hands out, heels pressed expertly down and shoulders hugged together in a very good downward dog. Amanda didn't know what she'd expected, but it wasn't Olivia being this relaxed and flexible in a field of farm animals.

"Mom, the goats are leaving!"

"I'm sure they go in and out, sweetie," Olivia said, still upside down. "I think the fence is for us more than them."

Sure enough, the one Noah had pointed to ducked right back under the fence and clambered right up onto Olivia's bottom.

"It's on your butt, Mom!"

"Mama, the goat's on Aunt Livia's butt!"

If Rowan was still giving instructions, Amanda couldn't hear it over their laughter and the shrieks of joy and mirth from the other participants and bleats from various goats.

"Mama, that goat's on that lady's tummy!"

Sure enough, a goat was happily perched on someone in an upward bow, bleating its happy little throat out from its King of the Mountain position.

"My goat!" Jesse squealed. The little one was walking away after wriggling loose. It sniffed at Billie then kept walking. Only two other goats had even stopped at the warm little bundle; apparently the moving people were more interesting.

Jesse whimpered slightly, and Amanda reached to her. "You wanna play airplane?"

"AIRPWANE!"

Amanda lay down, drew her knees up, and took Jesse's hands. Feet in her stomach, she lifted Jesse as far as her short arms would allow, then swayed her side to side. "Vroom! Vroom!" She heard Jesse giggle at the same time that she felt the pressure on her head. "Agh. My hair is not to eat!"

"Mama, the goat wants-a eat your hair," Jesse shouted.

She got hold of Jesse's torso and lowered the little girl to her chest. Tucking her ponytail under her neck, she reached back to scratch the goat's flop-ears. "That is not for you, nanny-goat."

She shooed another goat from her bag full of kid stuff and zipped it closed, but most of her time was spent following Jesse around as she followed various baby goats.

The older woman who was there with her daughter had found one of the youngest baby goats and was holding and rocking it, singing lullabyes in something that didn't sound like English. Jesse sat next to her, leaned in, and petted the goat for a minute while listening to the woman. Then she was on to the next sight, three women in a tower of downward dog and table with a goat on the very top.

Amanda hoisted Jesse onto her shoulders so she could pet the goat that had found the tallest human mountain to scale.

Then Jesse was squirming so hard, Amanda leaned forward and Jesse slid down her back like _she_ was a slide. "Noah's gots one!"

Amanda jogged behind her daughter to where a black and white, flop-eared goat was standing on Noah, whose back was flat in table pose.

"Uncle Sonny! Uncle Sonny! Do you see? Are you taking a picture of the goat on me?"

"I gotcha, kid!" The shutter fluttered, rapid-fire, as Noah smiled into the lens, as Jesse smiled with her chin jutted out while petting Noah's goat, as Olivia shifted next to her son, cradling Billie.

"She just woke up," Olivia whispered, her smile soft like Amanda only saw off-duty when they were with their kids.

A goat was eyeing them, and Amanda sat by Noah's hand, pulling Jesse into her lap. The goat plopped down and put its head right into Jesse's lap. She patted its head, and Amanda scratched its hind quarters like she'd do with Frannie.

Olivia had scooted over by Noah's other hand, and she leaned in and kissed her boy's cheek. A goat sniffed at Billie's head, checked out her peach-fuzz hair with its lips, then rubbed a cheek against the baby's soft head.

Amanda caught Olivia's eye, and they were both smiling.

_**click**_

They looked simultaneously toward the sound.

_**click**_

Carisi peered at them from over his camera, giving a thumbs-up as he peered at the digital viewscreen.

Amanda had a feeling that photo was going to be on both their desks, and she allowed the notion that maybe, just maybe, this might not be as much of a disaster as she'd first thought.

***  
***


End file.
